IPEDS College Opportunities Online - From the National Center for Education Statistics, this web site was designed to help college students, future students, and their parents understand the differences between colleges and how much it costs to attend college.

Peterson's - Online information from the company that has been publishing college guides for years. Peterson's helps students and parents find undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as adult learning opportunities. Financial aid and scholarship information is also available.

U.S. News Online .edu - In addition to helping students find a college and financial aid information, this site provides access to the magazine's annual rankings of colleges and universities.

Federal Student Aid

The U.S. Department of Education's office of Student Financial Assistance administers several major programs to help students continue their education at the postsecondary level. These grant, loan, and work-study programs will provide nearly $40 billion to students during the 2000-2001 school year, which amounts to approximately 70 percent of all student aid awarded for that year. To apply for aid from these programs, students who are planning to go to college should fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as soon as possible after January 1st.

The paper FAFSA forms are available in the reference room. Alternatively, FAFSA ONLINE will enable you to fill out a form on the computer. The online application can reduce errors but will likely take an hour or so to complete. It is possible to save an online application to complete later.

If a FAFSA application was filed in a previous year a FAFSA renewal can be filed but requires an Electronic Access Code (EAC). An EAC also provides access to the National Student Loan Data System.